Goodreads asked Paula Cappa:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Paula Cappa The Dazzling Darkness is my most recent book. The idea came from something I read about Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson is not a live character in the book but his presence is felt by the characters. And because this is a ghost story that takes place in Concord, MA, Emerson's 'ghostliness' has a real purpose in the story.

Emerson wrote in his essay Nature ...“Even the corpse has its own beauty.” Shocking statement, right? The more I read about Emerson’s personal experiences with death, the more the storyline and themes began to take shape.

Emerson lost his young wife Ellen only a short time after they were married. He buried her in the family vault and a year later, still driven by intense grief, he opened her coffin to view her corpse. What a heart-breaking experience! And then twenty-five years later, after his young son dies at five-years-old, Emerson opened his coffin as well. These images all connected for me: images of a cemetery, images of a boy named Henry suddenly appeared, coffins opening. The story just unraveled in a very exciting way and Emerson was that foundation.

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